I have to admit: in high school when I first decided to apply to engineering programs I was a little nervous. I was worried there wouldn’t be very many other girls, and that I wouldn’t find other engineers, especially girls, that I had a lot in common with. Luckily for me, Viterbi and the Society of Women Engineers has totally proven me wrong.
SWE has four main committees: Student Affairs, Corporate Affairs, Community Affairs, and External Affairs. As a member of Officer Council and the Student Affairs Committee, I help to organize fun social events for the girls of SWE to build connections and friendship. These include activities like Zumba meetings, game nights, the Mentor/Mentee program, Ice Skating, and much more.
The Corporate Committee puts on amazing professional events where members can network with companies and receive advice and feedback on professional skills such as resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and more. Community Affairs, among other things, works with local teenage and pre-teen girls to expose them to engineering and the opportunities it offers. External Affairs helps to publicize SWE events and serves a variety of other functions.
Just last weekend we had our Officer Council (SWE leadership) retreat at Lake Arrowhead. It was so fun, and absolutely beautiful too.
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- The stunning view from our cabin at Lake Arrowhead!
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- Officer council just hanging out!
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- With the VP of my committee and the SWE Treasurer Natalie (who is also a VSA)!
Another event I really enjoyed was our Mentor/Mentee picnic in the Rose Gardens near campus. Any SWE members who are interested can sign up for the Mentorship program, where they are matched with an older member of SWE often based on major or other similarities.
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- With my mentee, Kelly!
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- SWE ladies at the Mentor/Mentee picnic!
Because it’s one of the largest (actually I’m pretty sure it’s the single largest) engineering organization on campus, I know a lot of SWE members from my classes. It’s great to get to know these girls on a more personal level, especially because I will more than likely be working with some of them one day. If you’re a female in engineering, I definitely recommend getting involved. It’s a great way to make personal and professional connections, and ultimately a great way to meet a lot of really cool ladies!
For more information on SWE check out our website at: http://sweusc.com/
Have a good week!
Juliana
